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"I have so for you, Danny," Rafael said as he entered the family room

Mia sat on the floor with the boy on her lap They both looked at him and smiled, Danny with more excitement than his , cloth-wrapped package "A truck?"

"Better than a truck I had it sent over from the palace" Rafael knelt on the floor and peeled back the quilted fabric When he’d exposed the gold-and-jewel-covered scepter, he paused expectantly

Danny stared at the scepter "What’s that?"

"The royal scepter of Calandria"

Danny looked at his mother "What’s that?"

Mia cleared her throat "Well, it’s a very ie It symbolizes who you are"

"I’m Danny"

"Okay, yes, but you’re also your father’s son Which makes you his heir"

"I’m the Crown Prince of Calandria," Rafael said, determined to be patient with the child It was not his fault he didn’t already know this "I will rule as king and you will rule after me"

Danny considered that, then asked, "Where’s Calandria?"

Rafael had come prepared He pulled a European map out of his pocket and spread it on the floor "Here is Italy and France This is Spain This is the Mediterranean and here is Calandria"

Danny stared at the island and wrinkled his nose "It’s ser place? What about Australia? Moaroos and crocodiles I want to heir Australia"

As he spoke he reached for the scepter and slaainst the floor Rafael winced

"Okay then," Mia said, grabbing it from him "Maybe we should put this on a shelf until you’re a little older Why don’t you go see Gra cookies Maybe she’ll let you help"

"Okay"

Danny scrambled to his feet and ran off to the kitchen Mia turned to Rafael "Sorry about that He’s still pretty young I don’t think he’s grasping the whole ’heir’ thing, which isn’t a huge surprise as the rest of us are having trouble with it as well"

"He will have to learn," he told her, re how many responsibilities he had had when he had been little older than Danny was now He needed to get the boy back to Calandria, where his real education would begin

But that journey was a feeeks away He had best remember not to rush his plan

"You have done ith him," he told Mia "A woman alone with a child, especially a boy"

"Hardly alone Once I kneas pregnant, I moved back here It worked out well I had help and I’m close to the caraduate froeles By then Danny will be in kindergarten" She paused "Well, that was the plan I guess now I’ll be discussing things like that with you"

"There is plenty of tiet a job in Los Angeles The only difference was that her son would be in Calandria

But that conversation was for much later First he had to convince Mia to trust hiain

He looked forward to both activities, especially the latter He still found her h he’d never been able to say exactly why She was attractive, but great beauties populated his world She was ent than reat store by a wo else He remembered the feel of her skin and how that had aroused him Her scent, even when she was fresh fro after she had disappeared froreat many women and most of those encounters blurred Oddly, he re love with Mia, and that reain

If she were someone else, sohter of a great leader, he would consider e a permanent connection But she wasn’t, and when it came to whom he would have ation to the throne Still, they were together for now and he planned to enjoy every minute of it

He reached for her hand and rubbed his thuainst her knuckles "You have been "

She smiled "Not much choice there You’re Danny’s father The prince thing is a bit of a shock, although it doesn’t co dead"

He shifted closer and let his gaze drop to her lad I’m not dead?"

"Of course"

"I can say the same about you I was one And later, when I thought you’d been killed…" He hesitated just enough to give the words a sincere ring "Mia… I had just found you"

"Found is strong," she ency I was there to do a job"

"As was I Instead we found each other"

He spoke easily, hted to find her He’d known about the A an affair with her as a o He would have seduced her regardless, but with Mia what could have been effort had turned into true pleasure For both of them

He had even missed her when he’d returned to his life at the palace Perhaps not as much as he indicated, but more than he usually did Under other circurateful

"Let us not be parted again," he whispered

Her eyes widened "Rafael, I-- "

He touched her " Then he lowered his head so that he could kiss her

A heartbeat before he finally claimed her with his mouth, he heard footsteps in the hallway and a fa, "I sure have a habit of showing up at the wrong time, don’t I?"

"Do I need to lecture you?" Joe asked when Rafael had excused himself and Mia had scraainst the cushions and sighed "Maybe I know it’s crazy to get involved with hirateful I am that you appeared when you did"